Family Raising Money for Peanut-Sniffing Dog

RENO, NV - Playing in a park, eating in the cafeteria with friends and having a sleepover are are things many young girls do all the time. However, Abigail Ketchersid has a severe peanut allergy and for her those things can be life-threatening.

Like most 10-year-olds, Abigail Ketchersid loves to play outside. She even loves school, but she can't go. Instead, she's confined to her house and backyard.

"The only thing we do out there is play soccer or basketball. We basically pretend that that's our park," she said.

She has a severe peanut and tree nut allergy. Anytime she is around peanut residue, she could go into anaphylactic shock. Her parents even had to pull her out of the school system to keep her safe.

"If a kid ate a peanut butter jelly sandwich in the morning before they went to school, the school can't really protect that; there's no way they could know," said Timothy Ketchersid, her father.

Now, home-schooled with her siblings, Abigail is in a protected environment, but she dreams of what it would be like to be a regular kid.

"I would be able to read books without gloves, I would be able to go to the park, I would be able to go to places I've never went to before, I would be able to go to different cities and everything," she said.

With some research, the Ketchersids discovered that they can get a dog that is trained to detect peanuts. It would take away many of their concerns and give Abigail a sense of normalcy. However, it doesn't come cheap.

"We'll have to fly to Texas and we'll have to stay there for two to eight weeks or longer so that way my dad or mom can be taught with the dog, that way they can teach her how to use it," said Elijah Ketchersid, 13, Abigail's brother.

He has set up a fund to help get Abigail a dog and fulfill her dreams.

To donate to Elijah in his quest to get his sister a peanut-sniffing dog, he has set up a a Go Fund Me site.

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